The present invention pertains to the sector of portable guns such as rifles and pistols, and it pertains specifically to a safety device for such guns.
So-called blank firing pins, consisting of a dummy cartridge that is inserted in the cartridge chamber of the gun, are currently available in the field of portable guns. Instead of the trigger unit, this dummy cartridge has a spring-loaded piston, which draws back elastically if struck by a firing pin, in such a manner that this is not needlessly subjected to wear and tear during the maintenance and/or blank tests of the gun. However, the blank filing pin may be removed from the cartridge chamber; therefore, the gun may be loaded and remain loaded inadvertently with the risk of an uncontrolled or accidental firing, e.g., due to the falling of the gun, of the shot in the barrel.
In other words a blank firing pin in itself is not able to absolutely inhibit an uncontrolled use of the gun and to avert the danger of accidental firings of shots when the gun is transported and/or is put away.
The object of the present invention is to propose and provide a safety device that is able to effectively inhibit both the loading and the use of a gun, such as a rifle or pistol, to prevent the risks and dangers mentioned above of an involuntary operation of the gun proper.
Another object of the present invention is to propose and provide a device that, in addition to preventing the use of the gun, is able to protect the integrity of the firing pin and to allow freedom to open and close the gun, by unlocking and rotating the barrels in the case of rifles and by moving the carriage lock in the case of pistols.
These objects, and the advantages that derive from them in terms of the safety of a gun, are accomplished with a device essentially comprising a dummy cartridge to be inserted in the cartridge chamber of the barrel of a gun, a cable which starts from dummy cartridge, extends into the barrel for the entire length of same and ends with a spacer protruding from the muzzle end of the barrel, and a lock applied to said spacer and resting against the muzzle of the barrel to prevent the removal, if not voluntary, of the dummy cartridge so as to inhibit the loading and the use of the gun.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.